Printing devices, for instance printers, require driver software that executes on the print data originating device, for instance a personal computer (PC), that acts like a translator between the printing device and the user applications that generate the print data. Each printing device has its own set of specialized commands that only its driver understands. The driver software accepts generic commands from the user application and then translates them into specialized commands for the printing device.
The driver software, as well as the user application, may be used to select various different print settings or options that the user can choose for print jobs. For instance, the user can choose the type of media that will be used, the resolution the generated document will have, reduced-toner (i.e., xe2x80x9ceconomodexe2x80x9d) printing, etc. Typically, these settings are adjusted with a user interface of the printing device driver or user application from which the print data originates.
Although allowing greater flexibility to the user in creating print jobs, adjustment of print settings can adversely affect the printing results. In particular, users may not be aware that the selections they have made may adversely affect particular print jobs. For example, if the driver software is set to an economode setting, photographic images printed by the printing device may be of poor quality. To cite another example, where the user is printing data using a large page format (e.g., A3 size) and the selected print media is relatively smaller (e.g., letter size), not all of the print data may be printed and/or the document formatting will be incorrect. In general, sychronization does not always occur between the print driver settings and the printing device capabilities.
In that the user often does not understand why poor print results occur in such circumstances, the user may be dissatisfied or frustrated at the print outcome. For instance, if the user has adjusted a print setting that, unbeknownst to the user, will reduce print quality and then prints a large presentation document, the user is likely to be disappointed with the print result as well as with the prospect of having wasted time, print media, and toner.
In other situations, the user may not encounter such print problems, but may create an adverse situation for another entity. For example, in the enterprise space, it may be company policy to limit the size or number of pages for print jobs sent to a given printing device to avoid tying up and/or wasting company resources. In that there normally is no way of controlling such printing practices, however, such rules may not be observed by all.
Disclosed are systems and method for print recommendation and control. In one embodiment, a system and method pertain to analyzing print job parameters, determining whether any of the print job parameters are impermissible, and interrupting the print job if one or more print job parameters is determined to be impermissible.
In another embodiment, a system and method pertain to analyzing print job parameters, determining if one or more print job parameters is likely to create an adverse printing outcome, and if it is determined that an adverse printing outcome is likely, notifying the user as to the likelihood of the adverse printing outcome and providing an alternative print recommendation to the user.